Enhancing Standard Chemotherapy in Metastatic Pancreatic Cancer

Bill Branson; National Cancer Institute

Can a new kinase inhibitor molecule make standard chemotherapy with gemcitabine and nab-paclitaxel more effective?

Kinase inhibitors block the action of specific mutated proteins that promote the development and growth of tumors. Researchers are hoping that combining a kinase inhibitor with the chemotherapy drugs gemcitabine and nab-paclitaxel will be more effective than the chemotherapy combination on its own.

A New Molecule

CA-4948 (emavusertib) is a kinase inhibitor that blocks the action of certain mutated proteins that signal cancer cells to multiply. The drug has been tested in cancers like non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, acute myeloid leukemia, and myelodysplastic syndromes. Early studies in mice have shown it may also have a broader application in treating solid tumors such as pancreatic cancer.

Joining the Trial

This phase I study will evaluate CA-4948 in combination with gemcitabine and nab-paclitaxel in patients with pancreatic cancer that cannot be surgically removed or has spread to other parts of the body.

All participants will receive increasing doses of CA-4948 in combination with fixed-dose gemcitabine and nab-paclitaxel. Researchers are looking at the safety and best dose of CA-4948, as well as preliminary signs that the treatment is effective.

We encourage you to consult your physicians for clinical trials that may be right for you. The website ClinicalTrials.gov provides more details about this trial as well as many others. You can visit the Let’s Win Trial Finder for a list of all active pancreatic cancer clinical trials.

What new treatments and clinical trials are available to me?

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